Virtuality
by toastedwhale
Summary: CHAP. 5 UP! and just as quickly as chap. 4, too. this is immensely exciting, you know. R&R for this is my first fic and the first time i've updated since forever. Be the First!
1. a lone traveler

Disclaimer: as you most likely know, I don't own anything from LOTR... wish I did though. Also, my goal in life is not to make sense, and I realize that I'm probably the only person who's going to understand this until chapter 2.

A lone traveler in a long, black cloak walked slowly towards the village of Bree. She was headed towards the Prancing Pony. Her weary eyes looked up from the road on which they had been fixed. With a sigh of relief at what she saw, she walked on. For all she had done, this had not been touched. Yet. The mysterious traveler had come full circle. She had started in this village, and now she would end the long journey here, in the Prancing Pony.

She wasn't of an ordinary build. Her height could be considered hobbit-like, (and perhaps just a little taller) but the rest of her was obviously elvish, down to the rather large, pointed ears, and the grace with which she moved. There was no creature like her in all of Middle Earth, or anywhere else, for that matter. Her name was Fain.

Although Fain hadn't left the Prancing Pony with much of a purpose, she was coming back with only one intention. To leave Middle Earth. She would've done so, too, if it wasn't for the nasty malfunction in the system which left her stranded. Stranded in a computer program. She realized how stupid that sounded, but that was what it essentially was. This whole virtual reality program had malfunctioned, and so the failsafe was no longer functioning. _An oxymoron if I ever heard one. That's why it's called a failsafe. It's not supposed to fail! _She thought to herself. In her own mind, she had been over this many times before. Fain stopped in front of the Prancing Pony, where at last, she could end this whole crazy mess she had somehow gotten herself into, and walked inside. As he had once upon a time, the bartender looked down at Fain with curiosity. "Well, young miss, if it's a room you're looking for, I do have one-"

"I don't want a room." Fain said, her voice dripping venom. "I need to see the Programmer. That's all I want. I won't be staying here long enough to take one of your rooms."

"Can't think of anyone by that name, and it's not a common one by that."

Fain's eyes narrowed. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his stupidity. Although she realized that no one would know him by the name of "Programmer." Still... Fain was never known for her patience. She drew her sword. To a normal man, the sword would've been slightly large, but to her it was bordering on enormous. The edge of this giant was wickedly sharp, and it now rested against the bartender's throat. "Listen to me _very_ closely. This man is an elderly type. Long white hair with a beard to match. His eyes are what set him apart from others as old as he. They are a solid black. He has no whites in his eyes, nor any pupils, or irises. No in them at all, and they reflect no light like our eyes do. Do you know who I'm talking about now?"

The bartender nodded slowly. Although this stranger had used many words he had never heard, he knew the eyes of the man she meant, and frankly, he was terrified. Those eyes were unnatural. Fain smiled. At some point, the smile would've actually been sincere. Now it was as unnatural as the old man's eyes. She sheathed her sword.

"Good. Now lead me to him."

_Could that be considered a cliffie?? Hmmm... I wonder. I'm not holding out for a certain number of reviews, I just can't type very much on weekdays. Anyone else in school probably understands. Reviews are appreciated, though. _


	2. no good dealings

_Yay! Chapter 2 in all its insanity is here! Oh well. Who cares? Sanity is for losers. Thanks to reviewers for...well...reviewing. By the way, I'm not doing this for fame, fortune, or anything that goes with it. I thank you all anyway. To Invader101: yeah, to put it shortly, she is pissed. More will be revealed...never fear. Just to let you know, I don't have a habit (and I don't think may people do) of explaining everything in the first chapter. It's almost like bait on a fishing hook (and no, I'm not saying that all the readers are fish.). The first chapter is the bait, and it has to be good (or suspenseful) so that the fish/reader will swallow it hook, line, and sinker. Be patient and all sorts of knowledge will rain down upon you. To Queen Arwen: thank you very much. Your wish has been granted. There is more! Ok, so right now, there isn't much in the way of more story, just me blabbing on about insanity and writing some note that not many people will read anyway. By the way, (this isn't going to be in the story until chapter three. I'm writing this just for you. Don't you feel special? Ok, so you probably don't, but that doesn't matter right now.) Fain also wanted to be "stuck" in ME. Just be careful what you wish for... To JBL: OK, here you are. It has been updated. I know you too well you anonymous old fool of a scallywag. Some excuse for a coxswain you are. _

The barkeeper left quickly. Very quickly indeed. He didn't like the look in that hobbit-like stranger's eyes. His dislike of the Programmer (he still wasn't really sure what that name meant, exactly.) helped to speed his steps. The eyes of that man unnerved him. He had heard stories from other travelers. Horrible yarns of those who had come over a spell when they looked into those unnatural, black eyes. If there was anything that the barkeeper knew for sure, it was that nothing good ever came of dealings with strangers.

Fain stares at the back of the old man in front of her. He was sitting in a chair with his back facing out towards the rest of the room. A roaring fire was built in the fireplace in front of him. As she looked at him, a thought briefly went through her mind. _It's not fair! All of this is his fault! _Then, as quickly as the thought had come, it was gone. Fain found herself unable to hate this man.

"So. You have discovered the error. I assume that is why you have come to me. People rarely arrive without invitation otherwise."

The sudden remark surprised Fain. With some distaste, she noticed how silky his voice seemed. Before, (strange how that was all her real life seemed like. Just before. That was all it was, and the game was now. And her real life, for that matter, didn't even seem like it was real anymore. The program had taught her that there really wasn't anything that could be considered really real. After all, this seemed real enough, and all it was was an elaborate video game.) the people she had know with voices like his had been full of a false sincerity. Voice like that were only clever imitations of kindness, with some deeper purpose. She didn't like it at all. Fain straightened up, and tried to bring some sort of malice into her voice. Over the course of the game, she had found this an effective tool for getting what she wanted. She opened her mouth to speak, but the Programmer beat her to it. He seemed to read her mind when he said:

"I'm not sure if this particular error can be fixed. It could, in fact, be a side effect of something you have done over the course of time in this...this world."

The full significance of what this could imply scared Fain enough to actually speak.

"You mean...I may never get out?"

The voice that came out of Fain's mouth seemed so unlike her. Instead it was a small, timid voice. The voice was that of a very scared young child. The Programmer began to rise up from his chair. Fain wished he wouldn't. She had seen his eyes once, when she first arrived. That one memory was enough. Too much, actually. She didn't need to see them again. She didn't want to see them again. The programmer turned to face Fain. Although the rest of his body had an orange glow as a result of the fire, the pleasantness of this glow never reached his eyes. They remain solid black holes. Fain gave an involuntary shudder.

"You may yet. But I must first know what has happened until this point. It is the only way to effectively fix the error."

Fain didn't want to tell the story. The memory was still to clear and prominent in her mind. She could remember exactly the way his clear, dead eyes had seemed to... Fain gave her head a little shake to clear the vision.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

In a way, Fain thought that was the worst thing that he could have said.

Bwahahahahaha!!!! I am the almighty author! I can do whatever I want! People will suffer...what can I say? Please, please, please, please, please review!!!!


	3. Flashbacking

_Woot! Back to updating. Even though you people are out to get me and make me feel sorry for myself by NOT REVIEWING! I'm calm. Hmmm…so… anyway. Since JBL was the only person who reviewed chap. 2 and I already talked to her, I have nothing more to say. Which is good, because otherwise shiny stuff would end up distracting me and I wouldn't get anything done while I actually (amazingly) have some free time. On with the show! (for it must do just that at all costs)_

If anyone would have walked into the small house at that particular moment, they would have seen a girl of 16 stretched out along the couch peacefully sleeping. She, caught up in her own dreams hadn't noticed that the neglected pot on the stove had started up a merrily crackling blaze.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Smells were drifting to her. They were good smells of soup, baking bread, and the cookies that her mom used to bake for her on days when she was sick… She could hear the gently simmering sauces and the gentle sawing of a knife through bread. The kitchen was alive with dishes in all stages of preparation and she presided over it all. And yet, in the perfectness of it all, something else was making itself heard or….smelled, rather. The acrid scent of smoke was slowly creeping into her dream. It was like a living thing, smothering her as she slept. _Fire!_ The thought crashed into her brain like a battering ram. She had to wake up before… jerking herself in to awareness and forcing her still foggy mind to think. Smoke was indeed filling the air of the house. There wasn't much. Not enough to set the fire alarm off, anyway. That would give her some time to think. Whipping her head around, the orange glow of flame was coming from the kitchen where she had been making……sauce. It had been a sauce. For pasta. She grabbed the blanket she had been nestled in moments before in sleep. Running to the kitchen, she threw the blanket on to the flames, attempting to smother them. Nothing happened for a few moments, but as Kathryn Dowd (known mostly as Kaddie) stared at the stove, the blanket began to burn. _Wonderful. Just perfect. _She thought to herself. _O.K. Think. For the blanket to burn there has to be a heat source, like the…stove. _Feeling like an utter moron, she reached over and clicked the stove's active burner to "off." By this time, the smoke alarm had started its incessant, grating sounds. Batting out the last of the flames that had danced around the blanket, she went to find a dustpan. It was stashed under the rest of the cleaners for glass and wood in a closet. The racket of the smoke alarm was as persistent as ever. Kaddie was soon to fix that. Grabbing the dustpan and locating the smoke alarm in the living room, she clambered onto the couch with all the grace never gifted to her. Waving the dustpan in front of the alarm to get the smoke away from it, Kaddie nearly lost her balance. Regaining it, and standing on the arm of the couch a little more warily, she proceeded to shout at the smoke alarm.

"Shut up, you stupid, bloody thing! There's no fire!"

Which, of course, did absolutely nothing. Trying once more to wave the smoke out of the alarm's vicinity, Kaddie brought the dustpan around a little harder than perhaps would've been wise, and the resulting shock that reverberated through the metal of the dustpan temporarily numbed her hand. The alarm ground to a halt, and it was at that moment that her father decided to walk in.

"It smells like something's burning here, hon. You okay?"

Kaddie stared rather stupidly at the smoke alarm above her as her dad rounded the corner.

"How did the blanket for the couch get on the stove, Ka—"

Both stared at the shattered remains of the smoke alarm for what seemed to be a long time.

"Been busy murdering inanimate objects, have we?"

"No! Well…see… I was _assassinating_ them. There _is_ a difference."

She said it so matter-of-factly that her father was forced to laugh. Struggling to keep a straight face, Kaddie took a look in the hallway mirror, bursting into gales of laughter at her appearance. Her blond hair was still tousled from sleep and her eyes were puffy from smoke. Kaddie looked oddly demonic. Her father looked much better, but then again, he wasn't the one playing assassin for smoke detectors. He had short cropped gray hair, and a narrow face. His blue eyes were buried in wrinkles brought on by laughter. Kaddie smiled. The whole thing was entirely hilarious. Both were, by that time, doubled over in laughter. Straightening himself, but still chuckling, Kaddie's father took several deep breaths. Kaddie followed suit. Looking immensely serious her father spoke.

"What have I got in my pocket?"

Knowing what she was expected to do, Kaddie replied in her best imitation of Gollum's voice.

"Not fair! Not fair! It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in its nassty little pocketses?"

"What have i got in my pocket?" he said louder.

"It must give us three guesseses, my precious, three guesseses."

"Very well! Guess away!"

"Handses!"

"Wrong. Guess again!"

"Knife!"

"Wrong! Last guess!"

Pausing and making a fearful show of anger and frustration, Kaddie waited for her next cue.

"Come on! I am waiting!" said her father trying to sound, as was said in The Hobbit, bold and cheerful, while Kaddie continued her escapade. "Time's up!"

"String, or nothing!" was Kaddie's assigned answer. The Hobbit was her bible, after all.

"Both wrong! I knew you'd never guess." Said her father with a grin. Slapping him lightly on the arm with a look of mock hurt, Kaddie muttered "Nassty hobbitses, we hates them, precious." Which earned her a spectacular roll of the eyes from her father.

"Just take it." With that, he handed her a black velvet box. The kind that a fancy ring would come in. Her father had always known that Kaddie wasn't one for jewelry. Giving him a skeptical look, Kaddie opened the box. Inside lay a computer chip. Still confused, Kaddie took the chip out and held it in her hand. There was nothing defining about it. Kaddie's father worked with computers. The two of them had always been more interested in computers then anything, which may have explained Kaddie's lack of any cooking or athletic skill. Still, this made no sense. Seeing her lack of understanding, Kaddie's father took a book out of his pocket. Kaddie's other bible—The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Understanding suddenly, Kaddie shook her head in disbelief, to which her father nodded. The company her father worked for specialized in virtual reality programs, which were quickly becoming all the rage. It explained the box and the riddles. In her hand Kaddie held the world of Middle Earth. The entire Lord of the Rings simulation, all of the details of the book, were contained in this miniscule chip. The wonders of technology never ceased to amaze her. The vast amounts of information one could store in a one-inch by five sixteenths of an inch size chip.

"When do you want to try it out?" her father had been staring at her expectantly as her thoughts had wandered over technology.

"A.S.A.P." still bewildered, Kaddie watched her father smile and nod in satisfaction.

"Good."

_Hooray! I actually updated! And I have wonderful fake peanut butter! you know, the kind that sticks to your teeth and the roof of your mouth? If you knew me well, you would know that me actually getting this far is and amazing achievement. Yay! I am successful! And I should be doing my history homework and that English essay! But who cares about Frankenstein and Rome? To anyone that actually cares, because of the tragic fact that I didn't update any month even remotely close to December, HAPPY CRISTMAS! And yes, it shall be happy for every other holiday is a happy one. That, and I have a personal grudge against merry. And his squashed nose. However, Charlie… well, he's another matter entirely. Even though he was on heroine. Did you know that over the summer last year I went Goth, for like, a week? I don't have any of the clothes, though, otherwise I would've worn them on that one **evil** holiday…aka not one damn dime day. Besides, democrats (and certain SA's) are sexy. Who ever heard of wanting a piece of elephant? stupid republicans…well, not all of them, because that insults my **only** reader (hint, hint). Yay for short nerds on caffeine highs!_


	4. World

_Wow! I actually have ideas on the next chapter right after posting chapter 3! Oh, joy! Since no one has reviewed yet and i have chocolate i will write away! Sorry if it seems a wee bit slow, but i have to explain important stuff. Still don't own lotr...sadly. and due to mentioning the Matrix, i suppose i should say that i don't own that either._

"This here is where all the magic happens." Said Joe. Joe was serving as a guide to the building. He was gorgeous, but that was beside the point. What _was_ to the point, he was motioning towards a chair. Kaddie was distinctly reminded of the chairs in The Matrix. If they were indeed chairs, they were strange chairs at that. They were some kind of cross between recliners, massage chairs, beds, those things in hair salons, and lawn chairs.

"So what, you just sit there?" Kaddie inquired. Joe nodded. "Basically." Kaddie wished he would take off his sunglasses. The building was dark, so she could see no reason for it. Plus, it was difficult to read people when you couldn't see their eyes. Bending down over the chair, Joe indicated a box-shaped thing on the base of the chair.It vaugely resembled a miniature floppy disk drive.

"The chip you've got goes here. After the chip has been read, you sit down. The straps on the armrest go around your wrists. They partly serve as restraints, but mostly to read blood pressure and heart rate. Are you following this?" Kaddie imagined that he was inquiring because of the dreamy, dazed look that had been on her face. She nodded quickly.

"Good. Now the bowl-shaped thing that sits up here is what causes you to see things in the simulation. Now, it's important to remember that, no matter how real things seem, it's all in your head. Cause and effect based on your actions and the programming. Clear?" Kaddie nodded again.

"O.K. then. Just a few more things. The simulation starts at a specific point in time, however, before that, you'll choose your character. It's different for every simulation, but in this one, it's a screen hanging in midair that'll allow you to choose physical aspects of who 'you' are. After you finish that you'll enter the simulation. At the point in which you start, there is going to be a man who is referred to as 'The Programmer.' He's essentially the brain of the simulation personified as a physical form. If anything goes wrong, you have to go back to the point at which you started, to find him. He'll know the cause of the problem, and be able to counter it. Also, there are certain items which serve to force you out, and end the simulation. Let me show you."

Crossing over to one of the monitors crammed into the room (and nearly tripping over one of the electrical cords littering the floor in the process), Joe brought up a series of pictures. The first was of a copper coin. The coin was circular and well-polished with an intricate picture of a crane on the front. The picture slowly revolved and displayed a golden harp gracing the back. The gold and copper contrasted in a beautiful way. There was no writing on either side. The next picture was of a green stone. Its color was deep, dark enough to pass for black. The surface was shiny and it was engraved with a series of runes. Kaddie recognized them well enough from The Hobbit. They read: Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. Below the inscription was a horizontal line that looked as if it cut deeply into the stone. That would be easy to remember. The last picture was of a knife blade. At least, it had been. It was a fragment that looked big enough to fit into the incision of the green stone. Turning to Kaddie,Joe explained their purposes.

"The stone and metal fragment work together. You may have noticed that the fragment looks big enough to fit into the incision in the stone. That's because it does. When inserted, you need to lever the metal back until you feel a click, at which point you'll be thrown out of the simulation. The coin is used in case you lose the stone, metal, or both, and vice versa. All you do with the coin is squeeze. Any other questions?"

There were no questions that came to mind about the simulation. Kaddie had heard most of it before from her father, who had explained The Programmer, choosing her character, and the failsafe items. However, gazing at the room, which was small to begin with, Kaddie felt oddly claustrophobic. Monitors, whirring machines (which looked like computer towers), and electrical wires were in such abundance, it was impossible to move without bumping, tripping, or stepping on something.

"What's all this for?" she asked, gesturing around.

"Just to enhance the simulation. These," he said pointing at the machines making the whirring noises on the left side of the room "control what you feel, while those," this time pointing at the right side "make adjustments—the effects of your actions. The monitors display what you see to whoever is in the room."

Nodding again, and now feeling much like a bobble head doll, Kaddie handed the chip to Joe and sat in the chair. She heard the gentle acceptance of the chip in the drive and the whirring machines became louder.

"Ready when you are," said Joe.

Feeling a little anxious, Kaddie nodded her head yet again.

"Ready."

Joe crossed over to a keyboard connected to a monitor and computer and typed in several commands. Kaddie felt a light tug at the base of her neck as she entered the simulation and another world entirely.

_I am using Joe as an incentive for you (yes you, Queen Arwen) to review. Trust me, he's all yours and you can have him if and when you review quickly. How dare you say no to Joe?_


	5. Fain

_I wanted to get this up so that i would remember what i wanted to write. Plus, this is the first time that Kaddie/Fain has been in ME, since this is in flashback form. Woot! I've done three chapters in one day! Go me!_

Kaddie found herself immersed in whiteness. Directly in front of her was a screen, just as Joe had said. She wandered up to it. Options for physical appearance were listed in columns. Species, gender, height, hair color, hair length, eye shape, eye color, ears, noses, name and costume. _Species...hmmm... _thinking of her future company, Kaddie chose hobbit. Gently, she touched the screen where "hobbit" was listed. It would be easier for her to blend in that way. She would be female, obviously. Things would get too strange and complicated otherwise. Due to her species choice, the heights were limited. 3 foot 8 inchesseemed about average. Grinning, Kaddie chose a red hair color. She had always wanted to dye her hair red. To her, blond seemed so plain. No one ever took her seriously, either. Shoulder-length red hair. Almond shaped green eyes were her next selection. Unlike the other physical traits, ears and noses had no list. Touching the headline for ears, several pictures popped up onto the monitor. The first was of a normal human ear. Deciding to go with something a little more outlandish, Kaddie looked for elfish ears. She found them, and they were compatible. Not caring anything for what her nose looked like, Kaddie remained with the default settings. _Name_. That would be challenging. Casting around in her brain for something, anything that would sound interesting, Kaddie found Fain. To her, it sounded dangerous, and volatile. A keyboard appeared on the monitor, and Kaddie typed in her newfound name. The last decision left. Costume. In the end, she chose a very Ranger looking costume made of dull black leather. It didn't look as if it would be skintight, something Kaddie/Fain saw as a plus ( she had always avoided skintight clothing like the plague, preferring comfort over fashion.). Feeling like a new person, which she was, in a way, Fain pressed the "finished" button on the screen. Immediately, the whiteness of the place she had been in before dissolved around her. It was replaced with wooden walls, floor, and air filled with pipesmoke. Things in the room also seemed bigger. A deep voice rumbled from behind her. "Welcome."

_I had to get it out of my system. So, review please! And i'm sorry it was so short. It's just that it's slightly late and i have fencing to go to tomorrow. Ungh. I want to sleep late tomorrow and i can't...moans _


End file.
